The poetics of intimacy : psychoanalytical inspirations in Russian dance in the early 20th century

This article examines the impact of psychoanalytical ideas on the emergence of the language for a new dance in Russia at the beginning of the 20th century. Using the archival documents concerning the works of Ella Rabeneck, Lyudmila Alexeyeva, Lev Lukin, and Alexander Rumniev, the author reconstructs the artistic methods and techniques while taking into account the historical context as well as the artists’ biographies and theoretical texts. Firstly, the analysis reveals that the new dance was placed at the centre of the Russian culture at that time, shaping a variety of artistic processes. Secondly, the reconstruction of the reception processes of psychoanalytical ideas leads to the conclusion that the artists used Sigmund Freud’s theories and applied them in a creative manner. Thirdly, the analysis shows that paying attention to subjective experiences, involuntary gestures, personal memories, and subconscious desires changed the choreographic language fundamentally, shaping the poetics of intimacy in the Russian dance. Innovations developed by the new dance choreographers were subsequently used by the reformers of the Russian theatre and the founders of the classical ballet